Method of delivering glass



Jan. 6, 1931. R. E. SWAIN 1,788,037

METHOD OF DELIVERING GLASS Filed Sept. 14, 1928 & x w J WDTNESS raie iea Jan. 6, rear v 1,733,937

' me eras ATENT Y OFFICE ROY E. SWAIN, F CHARLEROI, PENNSYLVANIA METHOD OF DELIVERING GLASS Application filed September 14, 1928. Serial No. 305,952.

, The invention relates to the delivery of receptacles that in the charges of glass, laps molten glass from containers thereof, as for and scams have been formed which can not example, from forehearths of glass melting be obliterated in the finished products. At tank I times air bubbles have been entrapped in the The introduction of automatic and semicharges. Specifically, the glass as flown automatic glass forming machines has been from containers in irregular circuitous accompanied, or followed, by various mestreams, portions of it lapping or folding chanical means for deliverin glass to the upon glass restmg on the receptacles and machines, among which are flow feeders of forming a v1s1 ble seam by reason of non-uniboth the continuous and pulsating types as form distribution, or cooling, or both. well as gob feeders. For the manufacture of The ob ect of this invention is to provide some articles of glassware, particularly a simple and efiective method of so flowing lighter weight articles made in large quantimolten glass from a container into a mold ties, gob feeders are quite satisfactory. or an equ valent receptacle that thepharges 15 However, glass must be relatively viscous to of glass Wlll have no laps and result1ngseams, be discharged from forehearths or other con; and will contain no entrapped air bubbles. tainers in properly formed gobs, and it is The invention is predicated upon my dis.- diflicult, and in some cases impossible from a covery that by maintaining a glass receiving practical standpoint to cause viscous glass mold relatively close to theadischarge orifice 29 to conforni to the sharp corners and other of a container, molten glass may be caused to, configurations which characterize molds of flow in a substantially straight line upon the some glass articles. 7 Furthermore, there is a central portion of the mold, and to uniformly limitation on the amount of glass that may spread laterally from the central to or tob f d i f d b hi h makes it i wards the marginal portion of the mold with- 25 practical to so feed glass for the manufacture out lapping. d of heavier articles. In addition totheselimi- In the practice of the invention, glass is tations upon gob feeding, forming machines fiown 1n a lateral unconfined stream from a which are so fed must be operated relatively mcn upon the central portion of the botrapidly, which makes it necessary to provide tom of a mold which intercepts the stream 30 each machine with a relatively large number nd supports its lower end. The bottom of 0 of molds which in some cases are quite ex,- the mold and the discharge orifice of the con-' pensive. Accordingly, small orders of glasstamer are maintained atsuch relative prox-- ware cannot be' economically made on gob lmity that glass flows in a substantially fed machines because of the initial cost of straight line upon and spreads laterally from equipping them with the required number of the central portion of the mold. At aboutithe molds. time suflicient glass has been thus charged When glass is dicharged from containers into a mold, the distance between the mold by a flow, as distinguished from a gob feed, and the orifice of the containeris increased to the glass may be as hot and fluid as necessary neck, or in other words, diminish the'cross 10 to cause it to properly conform to any mold sectional area of the stream of glass prior to; configuration; there is noIimit to the amount severing it. By thus increasing the distance of glass which may be delivered in asingle between the orifice and'mold to neck a stream operation; and it is not essential that'the of glass, the severing shears pass through a forming machines be operated rapidly. Acrelatively small diameter stream, and ac- 5 cordingly, flow feeders have, for some cordingly only small shears marks are formed classes and forms of ware, inherent advanon the severed ends of the glass. In thus sevtage's over gob. feeders. However, as pracering the neckedstream of glass, the lower ticed prior to my invention, flow feeding has shear blade throws the tail of the stream upon the disadvantage that molten glass has flowed one side of the charge with the result that the 0 so irregularly upon or into molds or other shear mark is obliteratedinpressing or otherwe wise forming the charge. To facilitate the throwing of a tail of glass upon the outer portion of a charge, the mold may be moved laterally with respect to the discharge orifice of the container simultaneously. with, or just prior to, the operation of the shears. While either the glass container or the mold maybe moved to effect the necking of a flowing stream of glass, it is preferred to move the mold.

The maximum distance at which a mold or equivalent receptacle may be spaced from the orifice of a glass receptacle depends uponthe character of the glass, its fluidity which varies with its temperature, and the diameter of the discharge orifice. In working with various glasses at different temperatures discharged from different sized orifices, I have found that the distance between an orifice'and a mold should not be greater than about three times the diameter of the orifice. The mold should not be so close to the orifice that the mold and the glass delivered to it substantially retard the flow'of the stream, and this distance should not be so great that the stream. of glass flows in a circuitous'or buckled fashion. By way of example, and not of limitation, with a flow of uite fluid ordinary lime glass through an or ce l- 'inches in diameter onto the bottom of a flat mold in charges of thirteen ounces, I have found that the best results are obtained by maintaining the mold at a distance of about 12 inches below the orifice. In this example, the stream may be sufiiciently necked by lowering the mold to about 3 inches from the orifice just prior to severing the stream.

In the accompanying drawings there are illustrated several stages in the cycle of charging a mold according to this invention, the four figures being vertical sectional views through the center of a shallow mold and throu h the discharge orifice of the foreheart of a lass melting tank.

Referring first to Fig. 1, there is illustrated a forehearth 1 having its bottom provided with a dischar e orifice 2 through which flow of glass is'regu ated and controlled by a recip- 'rocable needle or plunger 3. Below the orifice, and centrally disposed with relation to it, there is a shallow press mold 4, which, as diagrammatically illustrated, may be mounted upon a rotatable turret 5 of a glass form'- ing machine. The mold isadaptedto be moved vertically by a rod 6 for properly positioning it with relation to orifice 2. In this figure, a stream of glass 7 is indicated as beginning to flow from the forehearth, the mold being in its upper position to place it in relatively close proximity to the outlet of orifice 2, and plunger 3 bein in its upward position to permit the flow of glass through the orifice.

In Fig. 2, mold 4 is shown as having received substantially a full charge 8 of glass, the charge having spread laterally from the central towards the mar 'nal portion of the mold, and the stream 0 glass flowing in a straight line from the container to the mold. In this figure, plunger 3 is indicated as hav ing been lowered to cause the glass to flow more rapidly through the orifice, and to also be in a position to later temporarily stop flow through the orifice. Substantially at the end of the charging operation, mold 4 is lowered to the position shown in Fig. 3 to neck the stream of glass, asindicated at 9, and plunger 3 has begun its upward movement which facilitates this necking and later interrupts flow through the orifice. In the last stage of the operatiomwhich is shown in Fig. 4, mold 4 is moved laterally with relation to orifice 2 to facilitate the action of severing shears 10 in.

turning the tail of the glass to the side of the gathering.

While the invention has been specifically described with reference to a plunger controlled orifice of a forehearth and a press mold into which glass is charged, it is applicable to the flowing of glass from other glass containers and into other forms and types of molds, and to controlling the How of glass otherwise than by a plunger. In extensive practice of the invention it has been found that articles of any desired weight and configuration may be readily formed of glass at any suitable temperature without the presence of seams and other defects which have heretofore characterized glassware formed from charges of glass delivered by flow feeders.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and mode of operation of my invention, and have described the preferred manner of pr'acticing it. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described, and on apparatus other than that illustrated.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of preventing the formation of 'laps and seams in a body of molten glass delivered'from a container to a mold, comprising flowing the glass in a laterally unconfined stream from an orificeof the container upon and supported by the bottom of a mold, during the major portion of such flow maintaining the bottom of the mold and the discharge orifice of the container at a distance from each other not greater than about three times the diameter of the orifice, and severing the molten stream of glass.

2. The method of preventing the formation of laps and seams in a body of molten glass delivered from a container to a mold comprising flowing the glass in a laterally unconfined stream from an orifice of the container upon and supported by the bottom of a mold, during the major portion of such flow maintaining the bottom of the mold at a dismesses? tance from the orifice of not more than about three times the diameter of the orifice, one severing the molten stream of glass:

3. The method; of preventing: the forrnation of laps and seams in a body of molten glass delivered from a container to a. mold; comprising flowing the glass in a laterally unconfined stream from an orifice of the con tainer upon and supported by the bottom of a mold, during the major portion of such flow maintaining the bottom of the mohi and discharge orifice of the container at a distance from each other not greater than about three times thediameter of the orifice and increasing the distance between the orifice and the mold to neck the stream of glass prior to severing it.

4-. The methool ot' preventingthe forma tion of laps and seams in a bodiy of molten glass delivered from acontainer to a nae-H comprising flowing the glass in a laterally unconfined stream from an orifice of the container upon and: supported by the bottom of a moist, during the major portion of such flow maintaining the bottom of the mold at a distance from the orifice of not more than about three'times the diameter otthe orifice, and lowering the mold from the orifice to neck the stream of glass prior to severing it.

5. The method of preventing the formation of laps and. seems in a boiiy of molten glass delivered from a container to a mold,

comprisingfiowing the glass in a laterally unconfined stream from the container upon and supported by the bottom of the mold,

maintaining the bottom of the mold at such proximity to the discharge orifice of the container that the glass flows in a substantially straight line upon and spreads laterally from the central portion of the mold, and simultaneously lowering the-moldi from and moving it laterally of the orifice to neck the stream of glass prior to severing it.

In testimony whereof, Lsin my name. R0 E. SWAIN 

